A man pleaded guilty Thursday to vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter for killing a mother of two in a tractor-trailer crash along U.S. 411 in Bartow County last year.

According to Channel 2 Action News, Ivan Delgado was sentenced to 30 years in prison with 10 years to serve.

Kyra Karr, 30, and her family were on their way home in August 2015 when Delgado's tractor-trailer rolled and crashed into them, pinning their car against a guard rail in Emerson, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Karr died in the crash. Her husband and two children suffered injuries.

The family was trapped inside the car for about two hours. They were on furlough from their mission work in Italy.

Delgado was conducting a safety inspection at the time of the crash. The tractor-trailer was parked outside a chemical plant when it began to roll. Employees at the chemical plant told police he was behaving erratically before the crash.

Police later said he was under the influence of a “mind-altering” substance.

Delgado addressed Karr’s family in court.

“I made a mistake by not putting the brake on and that led to a horrible, very terrible accident,” he said. “I caused your family so much pain and suffering. I caused so much suffering on myself, so much emotional pain.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta police officers offer an early assist with the search for Rockdale County escaped inmate Timothy Shane, who ran away from Grady Memorial Hospital on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo